Fishermen's views on

affiliation with CLC

In response to the United

Fishermen and Allied Workers’
application for direct affiliation,

a@ position supported by both
the. Canadian Labor Congress
and B.C. Federation of Labor
conventions last year, the CLC
executive has maintained the
stand that the UFAWU can en-
ter only “through the medium of
an existing affiliate.” That affil-
iate, it has indicated, should he
the Canadian Food Workers Un-
ion, brought into being last year
by merger of the United Pack-
inghouse Workers with the Am-
algamated Meat Cutters and
Butcher Workmen.

There is considerable merit in
the CLC desire to create larger
and stronger unions and so re-
duce the number of small unions.

Fishermen and allied workers
on both coasts, and particularly
on the Pacific coast where the
fishing industry is virtually con-
trolled by the huge Weston food
combine, cannot ignore the need
for unity with other food work-
ers across the country, for the
Weston combine controls an es-
timated one-third of the coun-
try’s food industry. All food
workers face the same mono-
poly in their struggle for better
wages and conditions.

The objective stated by the
CLC executive is one thing. The
reality is another. And the real-
ity is that, far from reducing
conflicting jurisdictions and tak-
ing the initiative in merger dis-
cussions, the CLC executive is
permitting the very proliferation
of jurisdictions it deplored at
the Toronto convention last

Prior*‘to the convention, the
CLC readmitted the Seafarers
International Union, which al-
ready has organization in the
fishing industry on the U.S. East

coast through affiliated local
unions.

This spring the Canadian Bro-
therhood of Railway, Transport
and General Workers, in an
agreement smacking strongly of
collusion with National Sea Pro-
ducts, obtained certification for
deepsea trawl crews sailing out
of Lunenberg, N.S. Undoubtedly
the company’s attitude was de-
termined by the UFAWU organ-
izational campaign on the East
coast and while the basis of
CBRT organization may be ques-
tioned, the fact that these fish-
ermen are being brought into
the trade union movement gives
them the opportunity to fight
for the wages and conditions
they want. But it means that
still another union, with its ma-
jor jurisdiction outside the food
industry, has extended that jur-
isdiction, hitherto confined to
small shoreworkers’ locals in
Nova Scotia, into the fishing
industry.

At the same time, by a con-
stitutional amendment made at
its February convention in St.
Catharines, Ontario, the Cana-
dian Maritime Union, another
CLC affiliate, has extended its
jurisdiction to include the fish-
ing industry.

Until the CMU actively begins
organizing fishermen on _ the
East coast, this Has little signi-
ficance beyond its formal con-
flict with CLC objectives. But it
is unlikely that it will escape
the attention of the SIU, which
also includes the fishing indus-
try in its jurisdiction, in view of
the declared intent of the CMU
“to strenuously oppose the cur-
rent tactics of the SIU at every
Opportunity and reject any and
all approaches to merge with
this organization.”

LABOR SCENE

By Bruce

Magnuson

With the practice of its affil-
iates proceeding in direct oppo-
Sition to its stated policy, it
seems to us the CLC should be
concerned with measures to ac-
complish a reduction of juris-
dictional conflict by initiating
and encouraging merger discus-
sions. Expulsion of affiliated
unions is not the answer any
more than exclusion of non-
affiliated unions.

Merger discussions with the
UFAWU have been at a stand-
still since CLC and Canadian
Food Workers officers failed to
hold -their promised meeting
with UFAWU officers following
the CLC convention a year ago.
The logical step, and one con-
forming to the majority stand
taken by both the CLC and B.C.
Federation of Labor conven-
tions, would be to admit the
UFAWU directly and allow mer-
ger discussions between unions
to proceed on an equal foot-
ing. In promoting this, it should
be noted, the B.C. Federation of
Labor executive has the particu-
lar responsibility with which it
was charged by delegates to last
November’s convention.

Obviously, such discussions
are likely to be long and com-
plicated. Apart from the nature
of the fishing industry itself,
they involve such fundamental
questions as-the need of fisher-
men and allied workers for au-
tonomy within an international
union, and these preclude any
ready agreement. But the longer
the discussions are delayed and
the greater the proliferation of
jurisdictional claims on the fish-
ing industry, the more difficult
agreement to unite all food work-
ers becomes.

—tThe Fisherman

President Donald MacDonald
of the Canadian Labor Congress
last week said he hoped the
newly-established federal Prices
and Incomes Commission ‘will
at long last find the real causes
of rising prices”.

His statement said:

“No one is more concerned
about inflation than the Cana-
dian Labor Congress, because it
ravages and erodes the hard-won
purchasing power of the 1,650,-
000 member of our affiliated or-
ganizations and wreaks havoc on
the lives of old-age pensioners
and others living on fixed in-
comes.

“For this reason we are very
pleased to learn there is finally
an opportunity, in the setting up
-of the Prices and Incomes Com-
mission, for. a full inquiry into
the reasons for escalating prices.

“Such an inquiry is long over-
due, and we hope that it will find
the real cause of rising prices.
For too long wages have been
blamed as the villain of the price.
For too long, the people of Can-
ada have been asking why prices
are escalating, without being
given the answers.

“The Woods task force on
labor relations, in its report
tabled in the House of Commons
March 26, has made it abundant-
ly clear that the labor movement
is not to bear the burden of
blame. The report clearly states:
‘Our conclusions about the cause
of inflation and _ particularly
about the role of collective bar-
gaining in the inflationary pro-
cess, will disappoint those who
seek a single culprit, and especi-
ally those who see the labor
movement as the prime candid-
ate for this honor. The problem
is too complex for such a simpli-
fied solution.’

Bai |
“We. hope, therefore, Ug ;
commission — will incom fj

of inv
thoroughly the patter? br iy
distribution in Canada va

in so doing it will study

carefully the ro

prices that has been PIV ag)

5
dividends, interest T° jest
ative land prices, re? tases (

cially profits which, 4

rose by 16.8 percent 10 vj i

000,000 in 1968 from ft ag)
level of $2,912,000,00% ae! ;
the same period, Wage |
less than half this ae rioritl®

“In working out 1S ‘ ant

that even a cure

cost of living shows A

of increase of boule imo?
a

cal care costs ‘ mpon ¢

during the past year ees alt
quiries could start in OE amit

“We trust that the John be :
sion’s chairman, re the
Young, dean of arts 0
versity of British as & |
whose appointment

: mp"
nounced May 20, will be «sil

=
Ss

le in pushing by b

spel praesent een tem

i
ered to fulfil the com refer ‘

announced terms .
which are ‘to ing
report upon the causes « inf

Of ieobs
ses and consequences mobile q

tion and to inform hon dem)
current price and incO” Gilt

‘ ic ane
sions, the general public stab

ic
government on how Pf

é jeved” gl
ity may be best achiev’. (Wy ¢
“However, we also {#¥ port fi

r
when the Minister for o
and Consumer Ate ced
Ronald Basford, annoU iss
terms of reference, rmcessild
from them of the ne ; 2

evels ®

price stability while 4 | js
time maintaining hig ly

employment, was ction
oversight and not 4 refle S

government Py an

Turbulence in B.C.

The labor scene in British
Columbia shows a rapidly grow-
ing turbulence as. more and

more workers seek substantial
wage increases to meet rising
living costs. Premier Bennett’s
tranquilizer in the form of Bill
#33, along with much propa-
ganda about the “Good Life” on
the eve of an early provincial
election, all seem to have back-
fired. Workers here are in no
mood for nonsense. The con-
frontation of labor and capital
is getting hotter as strikes are
developing in all of the Lower
Mainland and threatening to
spread into the interior of the

: province.

’ Picketlines of men, women
and children block deliveries of
oil from Lower Mainland re-
fineries as the Oil, Chemical and
Atomic Workers Union is lock-
-ed in a strike against Shell, Im-
perial, Gulf, and Standard Oil.
An attempt is being made to
operate refineries with super-
visory staffs. The union is also
on strike against Texaco mar-
keting and Home Oil distribu-’
tion, both of whom are cus-
tomers of struck refineries. _

_The Oil workers seek ‘$1-an-

‘PACIFIC TRIBUNE—JUNE 6, 1969—Page 4.

hour wage hike in a two-year
contract, plus other fringe bene-
fits. The union charges that oil
companies are asking the Can-
adian government for a uniform
continental oil policy on ex-
ports, profits and tax exemp-
tions, while offering Canadian
workers an inferior deal. Can-
adian director of the union, Neil
Reimer says that the last offer
made by the companies would
widen income disparity be-
tween Canadian and United
States members of the union.

Pickets, working around the
clock on eight-hour shifts, are
under surveilance by Pinkerton
private security service guards,
using movie cameras to intimi-
date picketers. The RCMP is
also conspicuously on the scene.
Union members say that non-
union truck drivers are being
brought in from as far as Hali-
fax, Montreal, Sarnia and the
prairies.

Meantime, 800 meatcutters,
whose negotiations with six
supermarkets operating 103 re-
tail outlets in the Lower Main-
land and in _ Victoria broke
down on May 20th, have been’
locked out by their employers.
‘A huge meeting of union mem-

bers in the Vancouver Labor
Temple this morning, (May

26th) discussed picketing stra-

tegy in what could become a
lengthy dispute. As hopes for a
last minute settlement - faded,
the employers sought a no-
strike commitment from the
union. This the union refused,
but brought in one of its top
officers for an 1lth-hour meet-
ing, hoping it might bring a
settlement. Instead the employ-
ers declared the lockout for 6
p.m. on May 24th.

The meatcutters seek $1-an-
hour wage boost and a four day,
36-hour work week.

CUPE members of Local
#1004 in Vancouver already
have a group of its members on
strike against the PGE, and a
strike of all its outside civic
workers may come this week
unless a settlement is reached
in a contract dispute over a 13
percent pay hike.

But the biggest challenger of |

all, the International Wood-
workers of America, has asked
the B.C. Forest Industries Asso-
ciation for an interim wage in-
crease of 12 percent in the mid-
term of a two-year contract ex-
piring in July 1970. This is. re-

quested under Article IX - Sec.
6 of the present contract which,
under a heading of “Rate Revi-
sion,” provides for an annual
review of wage scale, subject to

mutual agreement by both par- .

ties.

Despite an automatic increase
on June 15th of this year, the
average IWA pay increase of
5.5 percent in 1968 has been
completely wiped out by in-
creased living costs, including
increased taxes.

Tax deductions have increas-
ed by 10 percent. Average in-
terest rate for new homes is up
6.3 percent, while sale price of
homes in Vancouver is up 12
percent. Average cost of rental
accommodation is up 5 percent.
The cost of living index rose 1.1
percent in April, biggest leap in
13 years and 4.4 percent from
a year earlier. The IWA Coast
Negotiating Committee has is-
sued a fine leaflet calling this
situation “THE COST OF LIV-

-ING CRUNCH.”

The employers are reaping
fastastic profits as the last year
shows a spectacular rise in lum-
ber prices. B.C. Lumberman,
April 1969, reports “West the
Best,’ where lowest wood. costs

in the world combine wi A
ern and efficient opel” yal?
give western industly © fo
competitive edge. ¥-~" 4) pf
Products has set an anna i
fit record, with a 37 P® wel
crease over a year 3B anc
wood of Canada Ltd. 6,671

ver, had a profit of $694,
in 1968, compared to $4 1583
in 1967, or an increasé ha

“pach
percent. Crown Zeller bar ;

first three months of _

S a 4
pared with $1.9 millio? tal

earlier. MacMillan Bloed# PA)
had a first quarter PF ent © |
$10,238,469 or a 39 POL iri!
crease over 1968. es to ®
J. V. Clyne admitted th! z com
the highest profit in t ;
pany’s history. ah

While indications "app
IWA officials are’ not ctio®

a a
about taking any drastit yo
with only 10 months tO 8 oss

the new negotiations, Fre
from the membership !5 aa af
ing. Some wildcat strik
slow-downs have alrealy _
place in a number of af mot
The next couple of i jo?
promise to produce aie
action unless something

-to relieve the pressure.

a profit of $3.1 million 9, com

,
abe